Here is what I would say if I was a contestant in the Miss USA pageant

By Tom Quiner

Miss USA pageant judge, NeNe Leakes

“A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does it say about society?”

This was the question posed to Miss Utah in the Miss USA pageant.

She fumbled for some sort of politically-correct response:

“I think we can relate this back to education, and how we are continuing to try to strive … to …”

[pause] …

[pause continues as her grey cells desperately try to recall appropriate pablum-laced, politically-correct platitudes, resulting in this gem]:

“Figure out how to create jobs right now. That is the biggest problem right now.”

And to put an exclamation point on her insights:

“I think, especially the men are … um … seen as the leaders of this, and so we need to see how to … create

Miss Utah fumbles her response

education better. So that we can solve this problem. Thank you.”

Now in defense of Miss Utah, if I were put under the gun like that, I’d probably blather something just as inane.

But in the light of day, invigorated by my first cup off coffee, I would have responded differently if I was a pageant contestant.

[I know, I know, I’m a very virile and attractive middle-aged heterosexual married male (to a woman) (and witty to boot) so I could never be a contestant in one of these beauty pageants unless I cried out “DISCRIMINATION!”  … in which case the liberals would demand a change in rules, until they found out I voted AGAINST Obama twice. But I digress …]

Anyway … here is how I’d respond to the question asked by contestant judge, NeNe Leakes (a former stripper and current reality television star):

“Thank-you for such a relevant question, Ms. Leakes. What does the substance of your question say about society? It simply says that women make different choices than men. That’s all.

A wage gap doesn’t exist, at least, not according to the Department of Labor. They studied it in real detail in 2009. I’m going from memory of course, but roughly here is what they concluded:

“This study leads to the unambiguous conclusion that the differences in the compensation of men and women are the result of a multitude of factors and that the raw wage gap should not be used as the basis to justify corrective action. Indeed, there may be nothing to correct. The differences in raw wages may be almost entirely the result of the individual choices being made by both male and female workers.”

So what are some of these individual choices? Men choose different career paths. For example, men are more likely to pursue riskier jobs that pay more because of the danger inherit in the work, jobs such as construction work and iron and steel work.

Even more, men are more likely to go into high paying fields (by choice), such as computer and engineering fields, while women tend to go in more modest paying fields (by choice) such as health care.

Men are more likely to pursue jobs that pay more because the jobs demand evening and weekend work.

Men tend to stay in jobs longer, increasing their income over women who are more likely to interrupt their career to raise children.

Men work longer hours, on average 15 percent more than women.  How could they NOT get paid more?

But here’s what is really interesting, Ms. Leakes: the Census Bureau tells us that unmarried women who have never had a child actually earn more than unmarried men.

Is that a reflection of anti-male discrimination? Not really, because more women are going to college than men these days.

So, Ms. Leakes, the implication of your question is wrong, that there is some sort of anti-women discrimination at work in society.

My words may be politically incorrect, but an enlightened judge such as yourself will certainly appreciate such honesty from a beauty pageant contestant.

So there is good news for America: the wage gap is a myth!

[Thunderous applause! Quiner is voted Miss USA by acclamation!]